Not A Bad Thing
by city-bright
Summary: Inspired by JT's Not A Bad Thing. Set after Think Like A Peter. Danny apologizes to Mindy and wants to try again, but she's not sure if she can.
1. A Good Place To Start

**A/N: I'm not sure where this fic will go, but it's inspired by JT's Not A Bad Thing. Each chapter will be named after a lyric in the song. Hopefully the chapter title will give you an idea of how the chapter will go or an idea of what either Mindy or Danny is feeling. **

**I hope you guys like this first chapter! It's called "A Good Place To Start." Any comments and suggestions are always welcome! (:**

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Danny tried multiple times to talk to Mindy...about anything. He craved Mindy storming into his office to talk about the latest celebrity gossip or drama in her life. He desperately wanted to talk to her, hear her voice, and bring back their friendship after their romantic relationship had crashed and burned.

But, Mindy kept ignoring him and turning to Peter to talk about her drama. It hurt him a lot, but he figured he deserved it since he was the one who broke things off. Since Mindy wouldn't talk to him and Morgan and Tamra wouldn't talk to him, he turned to Sally. He thought she would be a distraction from Mindy, but boy was he wrong.

Lying in bed with Sally felt weird and uncomfortable. She didn't fit under the crook of his neck like Mindy did, she didn't have ridiculously cold feet like Mindy had, she didn't smell like flowers like Mindy did. She shouldn't even be in bed with him. It should be Mindy. Always. _No one can take her place._

He blankly stared at the television and then at his Ludlum, neither capturing his attention. Memories of his stay at the hospital started trickling in. They haunted him, reminding him of the way Mindy was fittingly snuggled up on his left side and how she giggled at his British accent when he read Bridget Jones' Diary. Now all he can think about is how he lost Mindy and how he ruined not only his romantic relationship with Mindy, but also their friendship.

He thought they could return to their friendship, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Them not talking ate at him little by little, day by day. He suddenly realized the strong affect she has on him and his life. He has to have her in his life; he needs her in his life.

His eyes went slightly wide in realization as he set his book on his nightstand and shifted his body. Sally removed her head from his chest and looked at him quizzically.

"Is everything alright, Danny?"

"Y-Yeah, everything is…Um, you know what? Actually, I-"

"What is it, Danny?"

"I'm sorry, but tonight was a mistake."

"What?!"

"It was a mistake to call you tonight. I'm sorry, but I-I think you should go."

"Are you being serious right now?" She scoffed, flipping the comforter off, and got out of the bed. She looked at him once more and said, "I knew it."

Danny looked up at her with that puppy dog face, but she continued. "From everything that has happened tonight, it's obvious that you're heartbroken and hurting, Danny. You're somewhere else. Just fix whatever it is that needs fixing, alright? You'll make life easier on the both of us. Have a nice life, Danny."

With that, she spun on her heel and exited his bedroom. He let out a sharp exhale, processing Sally's advice. _Fix whatever needs fixing. _He buried his face in his hands and muttered those words to himself as encouragement for what he was about to do next.

He dropped his hands in his lap and twisted his torso to look over at his night stand where his phone lied. He eyed it for some time before finally plucking up the courage to pick it up and scroll through his contacts.

He landed on Mindy's contact information and pressed on it, eliciting a picture of Mindy to appear on his screen. He stared at her picture, remembering how she had his phone for a good 45 minutes trying to take the perfect selfie for her contact picture in his phone. He sadly smiled at the picture. He had forgotten what a genuine smile on Mindy looked like and how her eyes sparkled. It seemed like they disappeared after they broke up, and it was all his fault. He ran his hand over his eyes and then through his hair, mentally cursing himself for ruining what they had.

His finger hovered over her cell phone number. He mentally willed his finger to press it, to call her, but his finger didn't budge. _Fix whatever needs fixing, fix whatever needs fixing. _He chanted these words like a mantra, hoping they can give him the courage to do it. _If you don't do it now, you're going to lose her completely. Is that what you want? No, it's not, so just call her. _

He tapped her cell phone number and closed his eyes in anticipation. He slowly put the phone to his ear, tensing up when it started to ring, but he reminded himself that he needed to do this. He waited for something. Her voicemail, a hello, or the tell tale sign of a rejected call. Anything.

He took a deep breath, realizing that she wasn't going to pick up. _Why would she? She probably hates me and doesn't want to talk to me right now._

He removed his phone from his ear ever so slightly before he heard a soft voice on the other line.

"Danny?"


	2. See You Tomorrow

**A/N: This is a transitional chapter of sorts. You find out a little more of how both Mindy and Danny feel about the break up, each other, and the impending meet up.**

**I hope you guys like it! Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions. I really love reading what you guys have to say (:**

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He was not expecting Mindy to answer his call let alone pick up and say something. He swallowed hard, hoping the lump in his throat would disappear. His mouth was suddenly dry, and a sheen of perspiration had started to collect at the ridge of his eyebrows.

"Danny? Hellooo? Danny!" She was getting frustrated with his silence. "Ugh, I'm hanging up!"

"Wait, no!"

Mindy annoyingly huffed. "What is it, Danny?" He could practically hear her eyes roll on the other line, which made him a little giddy inside because it's one of the many things he has grown to love.

"I just...I-." He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts and lower his heart rate. At this rate, he was going to pass out or something. "Can we talk?"

"Uhh, that's what we're doing right now, Danny."

He squeezed his eyes shut, becoming impatient with the route of this conversation. "Okay, yes, that's what we're doing right now, but I mean like…Look. Can we grab a cup of coffee together or something?"

The words hung in the air as he waited for her response. Eyes still closed, he waited for the sound of her voice, hoping and wishing she would agree to meet up with him. He needed to repair the relationship he cracked before it was truly too late to fix it. After what seemed like forever, Mindy finally broke the heavy silence hanging between them.

"Um, I don't think...that'll be a good idea."

He stammered incoherently, taken aback by her brazenness. He didn't know what to do. He hadn't planned for her saying no. In retrospect, he probably should have, but he was too occupied with overcoming his fears and cowardice. He dragged his free hand down his face and sighed, dropping his hand in his lap. He was tapping his fingers against his knee when a wave of bravery washed over him, suddenly giving him courage to press on.

"Please, Min? It'll only take 15 minutes, okay? I won't take no for an answer. I'll even buy you a bear claw."

He squinted his eyes and scrunched his face, hoping her favorite pastry will get her to say yes. He heard her sigh in slight defeat, indicating that she was going to comply. "Ugh, you know your audience. Alright, fine. Tomorrow during our lunch break okay?"

"That'll be great. Thanks, Mindy."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Danny. Don't forget the bear claw!"

"Bye, I won't." He hung up and tossed his phone to the opposite side of his bed. A huge weight was suddenly lifted off his shoulder. He felt so much relief. He realized that he's not even close to winning her back, but this was a great first step. He draped his comforter over his body, turned off the tv, and settled himself into the bed. He smiled, thankful that she agreed to meet with him. He has hope.

* * *

Mindy plopped back onto her lush comforter after she hung up on Danny. She groaned and grunted in frustration and confusion, combing over the reasons why Danny might want to talk to her and what he wanted to talk to her about. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to talk to him.

She thought she had successfully avoided him thus far. It had been a bumpy road with a few awkward chats and run-ins along the way, but nothing her inner Beyoncé Pad Thai couldn't handle.

She cried herself to sleep that night he broke up with her. She felt broken and empty like she had failed herself, failed Danny, and failed their relationship. It hurt her tremendously, and quite honestly, it hurt to love him (yes, love him). For years, she had tried to be his friend. When she saw glimpses of the wall he built around his heart crumble, she was happy to see him open up and care for her more and more. However, it seemed to regenerate because as soon as he said something nice, he went back to being a jerk by saying something mean.

And when they had become real friends, the wall he built crumbled a little more, but didn't rebuild itself as quickly or as much as it used to. She thought the wall was almost down, if not completely gone, when they started going out. She hadn't seen this flirtatious, constantly smiling, and happy version of Danny before in her life. But that night. That damn night when he called everything off, the wall shot up out of nowhere. It hurt more than anything she has ever experienced. The despair she felt after breaking up with Casey seemed like a walk in the park compared to the pain and hurt she felt after Danny broke up with her.

Her relationship with Danny didn't feel like any other relationship she had ever been in. All of her past relationships paled in comparison. She knew it was special, so she went against every dating instinct she had. She took things slow, abstained from having sex with him, tried to keep their relationship hidden for him, and yet it still failed. She didn't know where the hell she went wrong.

Okay, maybe she could have done without the whole "trying to make Danny jealous with Peter" fiasco, but that darn Brooke was draping herself all over Danny, and he didn't do anything about it! She didn't fully understand why Danny had wanted to keep their relationship a secret. He didn't need to say it, but she knew that he was embarrassed by her and their relationship.

Now, she had given up. She decided it wasn't worth the effort, the happiness, and the love anymore if Danny was going to shut down on her eventually. She couldn't put herself through that again. She's been through enough rejection and devastation to last a lifetime.

She didn't want to face him. At all. _Ugh, maybe I can fake my own kidnapping again or something. Uch, who am I kidding? That's never going to work in a million years. _She groaned again, realizing that there's no way out of this.

She didn't necessarily hate him or was angry with him. Honestly, she simply didn't understand. He never fully explained why he was afraid or why he kissed her or why he ended this before it truly began.

As she thought about it, maybe a talk with him wouldn't be such a bad idea. She might actually get some of her questions answered and if she was lucky, closure.


	3. Staring Back At Me

**A/N: Another transitional chapter of sorts. I know I'm making you guys wait for the coffee meet up haha but it's coming, I swear. **

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Mindy woke up the next morning with a looming sense of dread. _Today's the day. _She peeled herself out of her bed and padded to her bathroom to get ready.

After showering, shaving, blow drying, and make up applying, she entered her walk in closet to choose an outfit. _I gotta look hot for the date...wait, is it date? No, right? No, it can't be a date. Never. No. Shut it down, Mindy. Focus. _She ran her fingers over the different materials of her clothes. _What to wear, what to wear? _She figured she had to look hot and amazing enough for Danny to realize that he's not getting any of her hot bod anymore, but not so hot as to rub it in his face that she had nicely recovered from the break up.

In reality, she hadn't completely recovered, but he didn't have to know that.

She settled on a knee-length mustard yellow column dress with a cinched waist and a white belt. It hugged her curves in all the right places while still remaining professional enough for work. Plus, it helped that the color complemented her skin tone, so she looked radiant. She pulled her cerulean blue coat off a hanger, slipped her feet into a pair of black heels, and planted herself in front of her mirror. _Not bad, Lahiri, not bad. You're a warrior. Beyoncé Pad Thai the crap out of this day. _She victoriously spun on her heal and rounded the corner. She grabbed her purse and triumphantly walked out, determined not to let anything or anyone ruin her day.

* * *

Danny was in the bullpen reading his messages when she came in for work. He didn't even need to look up from his messages to know it was her. He heard her chirpy voice lingering in the waiting room from the main office. He tried his best not to look up and catch a glimpse of her, but he couldn't help it. It had become a habit, but boy, did he regret it this morning.

He swears on his life he stood there with his mouth open like a fish gasping for air. She had glided in, greeting Betsy in a rather cheerful manner with a wide and bright smile on her face. He even thinks he saw her eyes sparkle, but that wasn't the only thing. She looked so beautiful, and that dress was doing her a lot of favors. In his opinion, she didn't need anything to look beautiful, but in that moment, she looked absolutely incredible. _I am a stupid, stupid man._

In an effort to avoid getting caught staring, he lowered his head and feigned interest in his mail, but he couldn't help darting his eyes up to steal a look. He saw that she had finished talking to Betsy and was starting to walk in his direction. He immediately looked down at his hands, and then he smelled her perfume that had wafted to his nose, which weakened his resolve. He looked up at a glowing and smiling Mindy.

"We're still on for coffee during lunch, right?"

He cleared his throat, not trusting it to sound normal when he spoke. "Yeah, we, uh, we're still doing that."

"Great, I'll see you then." She gave him a pat on the shoulder and headed for her office. Danny eye's couldn't help but follow her retreating figure. _Oh boy._

* * *

Once in the safety of her office, she slumped in her chair and closed her eyes. _It's going to be a long day. _She walked into the office with confidence, but seeing Danny still broke her heart a little. Seeing him just reminded her of what had happened that night after the party. Plus there's only so much Beyoncé Pad Thai could fight in one day. However, she did notice how Danny appreciatively looked at her when she walked in. At least she had that in her favor today.

She did her best to go through the first few hours of work without thinking about her impending coffee meet up with Danny. It certainly didn't help that they work in the same place, but thankfully, the morning passed without incident.

She was hurriedly typing on her laptop when she felt a presence at her door. She didn't have to look up to know it was Danny.

Danny softly knocked on her door and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Min? You ready to go?"

She grimaced ever so slightly at the nickname that only Danny seemed to call her. At first she loved hearing and having the nickname, but after he broke up with her, it sounds...wrong or something. Still not looking up from her screen, she responded nonchalantly. "Yeah, just give me a minute, will ya?"

Danny gave her a small nod and started playing with Mindy's carpet with his feet as he waited. Mindy stalled at her computer. She was half expecting him to wait for her by the elevator because there's something about walking to the elevator together that seemed very date-like and intimate. However, when he didn't move from his post, she closed her laptop and exuberantly (and maybe a little too much, but hey, she was nervous) said, "Ready!"

He looked up at her with his soft, brown eyes, and it did things to Mindy. She hated how just his eyes could make her melt and weak in the knees.

"Great," he replied in his soft and hopeful tone of voice.

She grabbed her coat off the back of her chair and swiftly breezed past him to avoid his gaze, and let's face it, his smell. Ever since they had started a romantic relationship, her nose just seemed so keen on picking up his cologne whenever he was close by. It made her feel nostalgic, sad, angry, and hopeless.

Once she was in front of the elevator, she aggressively punched the down button in nervousness, as if it would make the elevator arrive to the third floor faster. She caught Danny's figure out of the corner of her eye and punched harder and faster.

"You okay there, Mindy? Punching the button like that isn't going to make the elevator get here any faster."

"I know," she said with a hint of annoyance. "I'm just excited for coffee is all."

He chuckled. "I don't think you need coffee. It seems like you have enough energy with the way you're punching that button."

She quickly turned her head to look him square in the eyes. "Ha, ha, Castellamo. Very funny." She returned her gaze to the elevator doors. Danny's light heartedness unnerved her even further. _He's the one who wanted to talk. Why isn't he more nervous about this? He actually looks happy and stuff. Oh my god, is he going to tell me he's dating someone already? _

"Min? Mindy!"

"Huh, what?" She snapped out of her reverie and turned to search Danny's face.

"I said, where do you want to get coffee? I was thinking about that cafe a couple blocks away, but I know you don't like that one waitress there."

The elevator doors opened up, and they walked in together as she thought about his question. "Ohh, right. Yeah, um, that cafe is fine. I think as long as we sit in the back, she won't gawk at me again. God, she was such a bitch. Do you remember, Danny? It's like hey, lady, mind your business, alright? So what I took a dozen or so packs of Sweet N Lows? That's what they're on the table for!"

"Okay, alright. Don't get riled up again." He could tell she was nervous by the way she was rambling.

"I'm not, Danny! I'm just saying that she just needed to mind her business and stop judging me. You know, I bet she was just jealous of how good I looked that day. She looked at me up and down and gave me the snidest compliment." The elevator dinged, and they walked out into the lobby.

He playfully chuckled at her passionate musings. "Yeah, I know, Mindy. I was there."

"Yeah...well." She smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress and pressed forward, suddenly feeling comfortable now that they have fallen back into their familiar banter. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Let's talk when we get there. I think it'll be better if we sat down for this."

Now, Mindy was getting really worried. _Better if we sat down for this?! No one says that for a casual chat. Oh god, I bet he's going to tell me he's dating someone already. Or worse. Like he's going to die. OH MY GOD. _"Danny, Danny, you're not going to tell me you're dying right?! You're like eighty years old and that's a very likely age for people to die! You can't die on me! I know you broke up with me and stuff, but I'm not that heartless!"

Danny looked at her incredulously. "No! Mindy, I am not dying! And I'm not eighty years old! We were born in the same decade, alright."

"Alright, alright. Then, I'm glad you're not dying."

"Thank you." It warmed his heart to know that she still cared for his well-being despite what he did to her. He knew she wasn't willing for him to die or anything, but it comforted him to know that if he was going to die, Mindy wouldn't necessarily celebrate his death and dance on his grave.

The cafe came into their line of sight, and they seemingly sighed at the same time, but for very different reasons. But one thing was for sure for the both of them: the conversation they are about to have will change everything.


	4. All I Want From You

**A/N: The moment you've all been waiting for! Well, maybe lol Thank you to every single one of you for reading this and leaving such wonderful reviews! You guys are so supportive! I hope you enjoy this chapter (:**

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The ambience of the cafe was very lively with the clank of silverware against cups and plates, but wasn't so loud that you had to raise your voice. It was actually kind of romantic and homey with the wooden tables, beams in the ceiling, twinkling lights draped from beam to beam, and smell of coffee beans and sugar.

Thankfully, the rude waitress was not working when Mindy and Danny arrived at the cafe; however, they still sat towards the back for some privacy. Once they had settled comfortably in the booth and ordered a black coffee, a caramel macchiato, and a bear claw, they sat in uncomfortable silence.

They simultaneously said "so," which made them laugh, breaking the tension and awkwardness a little bit.

"I guess I'll start since I was the one who wanted to talk." He looked down and fiddled with his fingers. He hadn't prepared anything, but he figured an apology would be a good place to start.

"Mindy, I just want to say that I'm sorry. I was a complete jerk for breaking up with you. I made the mistake of letting you go. I was talking to Sally, and she told me to fix whatever it is that needs fixing, so I- "

"Wh-wait. Sally? Peter's sister, Sally?" She interrupted, tilting her head and widening her eyes in wonder. _He hadn't mentioned they had started talking again. _She thought that their brief introduction in the break room was it. After seeing how uncomfortable Danny was when they first met, she didn't think they would hit things off.

"Yeah." He stammered, seeing hurt and confusion flash across her face before she returned her focus on the bear claw. "I called her last night. I was feeling lonely and discouraged when you didn't want to talk to me yesterday, and I thought...I don't know, I thought she was just a warm body to keep me company."

"Oh," she replied dejectedly, sighing deeply.

"She told me to fix things, and she was right. I want to fix this; I want to give us another chance at making things right."

"I don't know, Danny. You broke my heart, and you hurt me."

"I-I know. And I'm sorry, I truly am. I never meant to hurt you, Min. I would never intentionally hurt you like that."

"I know you wouldn't, but you still did, Danny. That's never going to change." They were momentarily relieved of an awkward silence when their waiter arrived with their drinks and Mindy's bear claw. Mindy took a sip of her beverage and picked up her fork to poke at her bear claw.

Danny sighed heavily as he took in the weight of her words. "I know, you're right. I know I can't take it back, but I want to try again. Do you think we could give this another shot?"

She studied his face, hoping maybe, just maybe, it could give her an answer or an indication of what to say or do next. She saw the sincerity, hope, want and pain in his eyes and the worry and anticipation lining his face. Memories of them kissing, touching each other, being happy together, waking up next to each other, and eating breakfast together flooded her mind. She wanted to say yes, let's do it, let's get back together, but something was holding her back.

She looked down at her bear claw, poking it once more, and then back up at him again, but with a different perspective this time. She recalled all those nights she cried herself to sleep, all those moments when she felt like she wasn't good enough for him, all those moments when she wanted to work at another practice just so she didn't have to see him every day on the subway or at work. She remembered how long it took to finally be okay with being in the same room as him, with looking at him, with talking to him about things other than obstetrics and gynecology. She had just gotten to the point where she didn't see pancakes and French toast as something he made for her in the morning, the subway as a daunting possibility of running into each other, and her bedroom as the scene of the crime. She was finally in a place where she's fine with being friends with Danny. Sure, there had been times when he says "Min" or looks at her with those eyes, and it would elicit a flash of hurt and sadness, but she was okay. She was _finally _okay.

Part of her couldn't believe what she was going to do next, but the other part of her thought she was saving herself, protecting herself from a world of hurt when he would eventually close up and run again.

Without warning, tears cascaded down her cheeks. Her voice came out like a whisper, but it was shaking as her emotions took over her body. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I can't." She wiped her cheeks, grabbed her purse, and stormed out of the cafe, leaving an openmouthed, dumbstruck Danny and an untouched bear claw.


	5. Is It Too Much To Ask?

**A/N: I don't know when I'll update next, but I hope I'll update by next Tuesday. If I don't update by next Tuesday, feel free to give me a kick and tell me to update LOL**

**Anyways, more sadliness, more angst, more emotions.**

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When Danny had finally comprehended Mindy's departure, he threw a couple of bills on the table and ran out of the cafe. By the time he made it out onto the sidewalk, she was no where to be seen. He called her and texted her with no response. He went back to the practice in hopes that she went back to work, but Betsy told him that Dr. Lahiri called to cancel the rest of her appointments for the day. He told Betsy to do the same to his schedule as he ran out of the practice.

He desperately pounded on Mindy's apartment, begging her to open the door. When that didn't work, he pressed his ear against the door, hoping to hear muffled voices on the tv, feet against her hardwood floor, crying, breathing, anything. Just anything to let him know she was there. When he heard nothing, he slumped in front of her door. He tilted his head back to rest on her door and closed his eyes. He decided to wait for her to either come out of her apartment or come back home from wherever she was.

After a few hours, he realized she wasn't coming out. Or coming home. He mindlessly went back home, emotionally numb, unable to think. When he reached his apartment, he sighed, remembering those nights when Mindy had slept over and those mornings when he had made breakfast for her. He padded up his steps, not ready to face his apartment. When he turned into his hallway, he saw something white on his door.

He approached the door and saw a handwritten note that said, "Danny-I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." There was no name on it, but he knew it was from Mindy. He traced the ink with his fingers like it was the last he had of her. He didn't know where she went, where she was, or what she was thinking. He didn't know anything. His world suddenly felt cold and empty.

He took the note off his door and walked into his apartment, heading straight for his liquor cabinet. He threw back three shots of tequila before he just gave up his shot glass and drank straight out of the bottle. He grimaced at the burning sensation, but he didn't care. It was better than the emotional pain.

Note still clutched in hand, he lazily walked to his bedroom, suddenly hating it. Hating it for reminding him of her. He didn't even try to make it to his bed. He lowered himself to the floor and curled up, staring at the darkness ahead. Tears left his eyes on their own accord, slowly making their way down his cheeks. He made no sound; he just laid there, slightly shaking...until he saw a twinkle.

He wiped his eyes and squinted to get a better view, and he saw two small, sparkling objects. He got up, walked to the side of his bed, and bent down to pick them up. Earrings. Mindy's earrings.

They rested heavily in his palm, but her earrings gave him hope. They gave him a piece of her like a token to remember her by. He knew he would keep them safe until he decided what to do with them. Maybe he'll give them back, maybe he'll keep them, he doesn't know. He crawled into bed, not bothering to change out of his clothes, with her earrings firmly grasped in his hand, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, he woke up with a pounding headache. He brought his hands to his eyes, wondering how he got here. The last thing he remembers was lying on the floor. Then it came rushing back. Her earrings. He jerked up, desperately feeling under his pillows and the hills and valleys of his scrunched up comforter.

"No. No, no, no, no, this can't be happening." He got out of his bed as fast as he could, but stumbled. _Ugh, bad idea. _He pressed his eyes shut, waiting for his head to stop spinning. Finally regaining his balance, he went on his hands and knees, looking for the last thing he had left of her. When he didn't find them under or around his bed, he peeled everything away. He flipped the comforter, throwing it to the floor when he still didn't find them. He pulled the pillow cushions out of their cases; he pulled away the mattress cover. He moved the mattress away from the headboard, hoping to find them wedged between the two. _Oh, thank god. _

He found them, desperately reaching his fingers into the narrow space between the mattress and headboard. He pulled them out and settled on his bed, head bent down, clutching onto her earrings like a lifeline. He didn't know what he would do without them. Suddenly, these earrings were all he had left of her, and he would never lose them again. He put them in his leather jacket coat and mustered as much strength as he could to get ready for work.

He hoped Mindy would be there, but she didn't show up for work that morning or for every morning for the rest of the week. He had called her multiple times a day, each time muttering "pick up, pick up, pick up" under his breath. And each time she didn't, the harsh reality hit him. He didn't know what to do anymore, so he just stopped calling her completely.

The next week, he was greeted with the sight of Mindy. He looked at her expectedly when she walked in on Monday morning, hoping she would look at him or talk to him about her running out, but she didn't. With each passing day they didn't talk, Danny grew increasingly frustrated and hopeless. They didn't talk until Friday afternoon, just after everyone left the office for the day.

She knocked on his door and peaked in.

"Morgan, I told you. I'm not going to drive you back to Rockaway. I won't do it!" He looked up from his paperwork and saw Mindy. "Oh…sorry, I thought you were Morgan." He returned his focus to his paperwork, ignoring Mindy shuffling in and taking a seat in front of his desk. "Can I help you with anything?"

"I want to talk to you...about the other day," she replied nervously.

Still focused on his work, he monotonously said, "I don't know, Mindy. It didn't seem like you wanted to talk all this week or last week."

"Okay...I guess I deserved that. Listen, I'm sorry for abandoning you at the cafe, not giving you an explanation, and not returning your calls. I thought you hated me for saying that I couldn't give us another chance. I thought you didn't want anything to do with me."

He was starting to get frustrated. "Oh, and you think me calling you every single day meant that I didn't want anything to do with you?" He threw his pen on his files and ran his hands down his face.

"I still want us to be friends, Danny."

"Well, Mindy, we all can't get what we want, can we? You ignored me for almost two weeks!"

"Yes, I did, and I'm sorry, Danny. I turned off my phone and went to Gwen's."

"Well, what about this entire week when you had your phone on? Did the missed calls notifications just disappear?"

"I-I don't know what you want me to say or what you want from me."

"I want you, Mindy! I want you to _fight _for us! Why can't you see that?!"

"Well, I can't do that."

"Then, I don't know what to do anymore, Mindy. I don't."

"Can we at least try to be friends? I thought we were doing okay before all this."

"Maybe you were," he mumbled under his breath as he avoided her gaze.

"Excuse me?!" She yelled as she stood up, outraged. "You think I asked for this? You think I was all fine and dandy after you broke up with me? You think it was easy for me to see the man who broke my heart every single fucking day? Well, you're wrong, Danny! Do you know how many nights I cried over you, wondering what I could have _possibly_ done to deserve my best friend breaking my heart? No, you don't, so don't sit there and act like you were the only one who got hurt because you weren't. Dammit, Danny, I am trying to fix this because I actually care about you, and you are my friend. Unless you want to throw away our friendship too. Then what you said about needing and having me in your life is complete and utter bullshit." At some point, tears escaped her eyes, but they weren't sad tears. They were fueled with pain and anger.

He stood up as well staring squarely into her eyes. "Throw away our friendship? I never wanted to throw away our friendship. If anything, I was trying to save it! I thought I was doing the right thing! Besides, you were the one who didn't talk to me, look at me, or even return my calls for two weeks. And you ran away from me! You think _that's _friendship?! At least I tried, Mindy. I tried. Even after we broke up, I tried to be friends with you and make things go back to normal, but you were the one who kept pushing me away. Even after you ran out on me at the cafe, at least I called you and went running around the city looking for you! And when you finally came back to work, you didn't even have the decency to apologize or tell me where you were. You had to wait a full two weeks to come and talk to me."

"I told you, Danny. I was scared, okay?! I wanted to give you your space."

He scoffed. "Please."

"Oh, so you're allowed to be scared, but I'm not?! Is that what this is?"

"What?!"

"You heard me! You're so angry at me for running away from you that you don't even realize that you did the same thing to me when you broke up with me! You ran from me, and you got scared. You waited like what, one month? Two months, maybe, before you called me and apologized to me for making a mistake. How is this any different? Tell me."

He looked down at his desk, realizing she was right. He softly replied, "It's not."

"Exactly. See, Danny." She groaned. "This is exactly why I couldn't give us another chance. We may want to kill each other as least once a day, and I honestly don't mind it because that's just who we are, but this." She motioned between them. "This fighting, this miscommunication, this fear and all this hurt we cause each other. It's not healthy. We can't work like this."

He rounded his desk and stood in front of her. "But I'm willing to fight for this, Mindy. I _want _to fight and work for you and this relationship. I want to take another chance on us because I truly believe we can make it work. I'm not stupid enough to let you go again."

"Yeah, but I'm not."

"I don't get it, Mindy." He threw his hands up. "I've seen how hard you've fought for relationships before. You fought for Casey, you cut your hair for him, and you went to Haiti with him. I've seen you fight especially hard with Cliff. He broke up with you because he didn't trust you yet you took the next flight out of Los Angeles to win him back." He voice cracked, and the tears pooled in his eyes when he asked, "Why can't you fight for us the same way you fought for them? What is it about us that makes you want to quit? Was our relationship so much worse than those that you can't even fight for us?"

"I can't fight for us because if we didn't work out...I don't think I could recover from that. To fight so damn hard for us and then have it fail? I can't go through another break up with you, Danny. I just can't. The first one was hard enough. I barely got through that one. _We _barely got through that one. If we break up again, what will be left of our friendship to salvage? We had only been dating for a month, and we barely even worked at our relationship. Can you even imagine the world of pain we would put ourselves through if we actually fought for each other, and it didn't work out?"

He took her hands in his and squeezed reassuringly."Yeah, but...but what if we succeed and-and we get married, have kids with your smile and my eyes, and live a happy life together, Mindy? I don't know about you, but I feel like if we tried, this would be it, no question about it. I can see you walking down the aisle, I can see us fighting over baby names. I can see us having our first child together, I can see you hosting extravagant parties in our home while I'm pretending to hate it when I'm actually loving it. I can see me coming home to you, giving you a kiss hello and having a little mini-Mindy run up to greet me. I can see it. But, most importantly, I _want_ all of that with you, Min. I really do. There's no one like you. No one has ever made me happier than you do. No one. You're my best friend, Min. I can't lose you." Those last four words quivered out of him as he tried to hold back his tears. He saw how apologetic she looked, and that's when he realized that he lost his chance.

"I can't either...which is why I can't fight for us. I can't risk it, Danny." Her voice cracked and wavered the same way it did when they first broke up.

He took a deep breath, wanting so badly to continue to fight for her and their relationship, to further convince her that they could have something wonderful together. He didn't want to let her go this easily and quickly, but if one person had given up, it was never going to work. He brushed her tears away with the pad of his thumb, and in one last ditch effort to make her change her mind, to reevaluate her decision, he said, "Mindy, I love you. I'm going to love you no matter what, I hope you know that. I want you to be happy."

"I want you to be happy too, but it can't be with me. I'm sorry."

"I-" He scratched the back of his neck. _That's it. It's over. _He reached out to cup her cheek. "Alright...okay, if this is what you want, then I can't stop you."

He sighed, dropping his hand from her cheek, and reached into his lab coat pocket, pulling out Mindy's earrings. Palms facing up, he reached out to her and softly said, "Here. I found these in my apartment. I thought you might like them back."

"Thank you."

He leaned down to place a quick but tender and soft kiss on her lips, stroking her cheek like he always does, and then drew her in for a hug. He forced himself to remember how she feels tucked under chin and her coconut smelling hair because as far as he knew, this was the last time he was able to do this. He rested his cheek on top of her head for a couple of seconds before placing a kiss on her head.

They both withdrew, and she had started crying again. And apparently so had Danny because Mindy jokingly said, "Aw, Danny. Don't cry. It's not like we're losing each other."

He sniffled and chuckled, wiping away her tears once again. "Well, it sure feels like it."

She sniffled, putting on her bravest face. "We're going to be okay, alright? Don't worry about us."

He nodded and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. She kissed him on the cheek and turned around to leave. She stopped at his door and looked back at him. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

He gave her a sad smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, she walked out of his office and seemingly, out of his reach.


End file.
